KOCHI: Tiruvalla native Junaith Aboobaker’s first love was always writing. After starting a blog in 2009, Junaith published his first poetry collection titled ‘Pinbench’ in 2015 and his first novel ‘Ponon Gombe’ (DC Books) in 2017. Three more books later, his latest ‘Paka’ received widespread appreciation. Set in the 1980s in a village called Paathipaadam, the tale is weaved around a gang known as ‘Patticompany’.
According to the author, ‘Paka’ was inspired by the many stories he heard during his childhood. His first two novels dealt with international politics and Junaith wanted a novel that narrated the story of Kerala. “In ‘Paka’, a group of youngsters get involved in an incident and gradually become a gang of goons.
Politicians and those from the higher rungs of society employ the gang for their benefits. People in rural areas love to gossip so the gang gets a more notorious name,” says Junaith. Though a crime drama, the author brought an element of a family-like feeling in the story.
“The youngsters are haunted by the gang’s reputation. It follows them throughout their life and haunts them even when they decide to lead a peaceful family life. The novel highlights how they overcome such troubles,” adds Junaith. The book is published by DC Books.
‘Seven Days in Linchward Barn: Oppression Breeds Resistance’ was Junaith’s attempt at English fiction. Like the English novel, ‘Paka’ is set in the early 1980s. “It was a coincidence. I have heard exciting stories about many gangsters during my childhood. It fascinated me and I thought setting the novel in a period which heralded the rise of many gangs would be perfect,” he says.
Working as a pharmacist in Ireland, Junaith says he doesn’t plan to become a full-time writer. He’s currently working on two new threads. “It takes me a year to shape the characters and episodes of a novel. Once done, the writing process becomes easy. I’ve no plan to write another English novel soon,” he says. ‘Saharaveeyam’ and ‘Colonel Kannan’ are his other books.